Foundation garment



Sept. 14, 1965 L. H. HOPPER FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1963 INVENTOR. LUIS 1; HOPPEE .ZMMJ

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3,205,892 FOUNDATION GARMENT Lois H. Hopper, North Hollywood, Calif., assiguor to Munsingwear, Inc, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 29, 1963, 'Ser. No. 298,094 6 "Claims. (Cl. 128-432) This invention relates to an all-in-one foundation garment for molding and supporting the bust, waist and hips of the female figure.

Such garments are becoming increasingly popular by virtue of the comfort produced by overall torso support. However, excess body tissue tends to be crowded together at about the waist of the wearer between the bottom of the rib cage and the top of the hip bone. The result often is a loss of waist definition. Prior all-in-one garments have a substantially constant ciriu-mference from an area beneath the breast cups to the place of maximum hip girth to allow for this relocation of body tissue.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an all-in-one foundation garment that, without sacrificing hip or bust support, adds waist definition thereby restoring the pleasing appearance of the female figure.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a foundation garment of this character which, through the provision of waist definition, provides unusual comfort to the wearer.

In order to accomplish this result, a reinforcing waist band is provided that extends about the back of the wearer, Widens to a maximum height at the sides, and terminates anteriorly short of the central longitudinally extending abdominal muscles. This band essentially divides the excess body tissue at the sides of the waist and molds it into areas above and below the waist. The flesh essentially divided in this manner is much less conspicuous than when merged into a central mass. At the same time, waist definition is restored.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification, and which drawings, unless as other- This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view showing the front of the foundation garment in position on the body of a wearer;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view showing the rear portion of the garment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane corresponding to line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing parts of the garment on opposite sides of a side seam and taken in the direction indicated by line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the plane corresponding to line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear elevational View with the front and rear sections of the garment juxtaposed and substantially fiat for illustrating the lateral curvature.

The foundation garment 10 in the present instance, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises two left and right front sections 11 and 12, upper back sections 13 and 14, and lower hip sections 15 and 16. These sections may be made of conventional material, such as netting, stretch yarn or fabric having elastic threads.

The front sections 11 and 12 have extended flaps 17 United States Patent 0 3,255,892 Patented 5ept. 14, 1565 and 18 (FIGS. 1 and 3) returned inwardly from vertica fold lines 19 and 20. The fold lines 19 and 2t) oppose each other at the center of the garment, where the sections 11 and 12 are joined together, as by f-agoting. The flaps 17 and 18 are contoured so as to form an appropriate panel of double thickness for support along the vertical abdominal muscles.

The sections 11 and 12 are provided with arcuate recesses 21 and 22 (FIG. 1) at their upper edges at which suitable breast supporting cups 23 and 24 are respectively attached.

The back sections 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the garment 10 extend generally in quadrants defined by a vertical line or seam 25 and a horizontal line or seam 26. The seams 25 and 26, in this instance formed by fagoting, respectively extend along the center of the back and about the waist.

The back sections 13, 14, 15 and 16 are joined to the front sections 11 and 12 along left and right vertical side seams 27 and 28 also formed, in this instance, by fagoting. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the front and rear parts of the garment curve inwardly along the side seams so as clear y to define a reduced waistline. Thus, the distance between the side seams 27 and 28 at the waistline 26 is substantially less than the distance between the side seams 27 and 28 at the upper and lower portions of the garment.

In order to prevent body tissue from being forced into the area of the waistline 26, a reinforcing band 29 is attached to the inside of the garment 10, as by peripheral stitching. This band 29 is made in this instance in three contiguous parts: a back ,part 30, a left frontal part 3 1, and a right frontal part 32. The band 29 may be made of material substantially less stretchable than the material forming the garment sections 11 to 16, or the band may be made of the same material as the garment sections 11 to 16, in which case the double layer thus formed as a functional unit performs the function of a relatively unyielding band.

The ends of the back band part 30, as shown in FIG. 3, are enclosed in inwardly turned ends 1301 and 14a of the upper back sections 13 and 14 as well as by similar inwardly turned ends of the lower hip sections 15 and 16, thus providing a suitable finish. Lines of stitching 33 and 34 at the respective sides of the rear sections secure the inwardly turned ends of the sections, and also catch the endsof the back band part 30.

The band part 31 is relatively narrow at the center of the back of the garment but widens or flares at its ends to points 37 and 38 (FIG. 2) at the left side seam 28 and to points 39 and 40 (FIGS. 1 and 4) at the right side seam 27. The points 39 and 40 may be spaced approximately three to four inches.

The frontal band parts 31 and '32 are formed substantially .as triangular segments with one side placed along the corresponding side seam 27 or 28, the other sides of the frontal parts converging toward the center of the garment. The frontal parts 31 and 32 respectively terminate at apices 41 and 42 spaced laterally of the centnal reinforcing panel of the garment.

The side edges of the front sections 11 and 12 are turned inwardly as at 11a and 12:: (FIG. 3) and the frontal b-and par-ts 31 and 32 have edges inserted to be caught by lines of stitching 43 .and 44. Angular lines of stitching 45 and 46 (FIG. 4) secure the top and bottom edges of the right frontal band part 32. Similar angular lines of stitching 47 and 48 (FIGS. 1 and 2) secure the top and bottom edges of the left frontal band part 31.

Although the band 29 is, in this instance, made in three parts, it acts as a single element. In other applications the band may be made as a single piece or in two pieces, in accordance with the pattern of the foundation garment.

The points 37 and 39 (FIGS. 2 and 1) are located just below the bottom of the rib cage of the wearer on the left and right sides, respectively; and the points 33 and 40 are located just above the hip bone of the wearer. By virtue of the band width between the points 37-38 and 39-4-0, and the rhombio contour of adjacent parts of the band, any excess body tissue is held at the upper and lower abdominal regions a and b (FIG. 1) and the upper and lower back regions c and d. These areas are substantially free of the rib cage and the hip bone. Spacing of apices 41 and 42 from the front reinforcing panel prevents undue strain on the body tissues. A slight excess of tissue about the area of the 'apices 41 and 42 does not detract from lateral waist line contour.

The band 29 serves to define a central anchor for the entire foundation garment so that its upper and lower sections have exceptional stability on the body of the wearer resulting in exceptional comfort.

The inventor claims:

ll. An all-in-one foundation garment having front and back parts adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from the hips to the bust regions, said front and back parts having lateral inward curvature at the area of the waistline, a reinforcing band attached to the front and back parts along the waistline and extending along the back and frontally beyond the sides of the garment, said band having a substantial width at the sides of the garment substantially to bridge the separation between the top of the hip bone and the lower end of the rib cage, the width of the band being decreased rearwardly from said sides whereby excess body tissue is held beyond the band at the side of the garment to maintain the normal waist definition of the body of the wearer.

2. An all-in-one foundation garment having front and back parts adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from the hips to the bust regions, said front and back parts having lateral inward curvature at the area of the waistline, a reinforcing band attached to the front and back parts along the waistline and extending along the back and frontally beyond the sides of the garment, said band having a substantially rhornbic area at the sides tapering frontally and rearwardly toward the waist line from an area of maximum height substantially to bridge the separation between the top of the hip bone and the lower end of the rib cage whereby excess body tissue is held beyond the band at the side of the garment to main tain the normal waist definition of the body of the wearer.

3. An all-in-one foundation garment having front and back parts adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from the, hips to the bust regions, said front and back parts having lateral inward curvature at the area of the waistline, said front part having a reinforcing panel extending vertically along the center thereof for supporting the body of the wearer along the vertical abdominal muscles, a reinforcing band attached to the front and back parts along the waistline and extending along the back and frontally beyond the sides of the garment, said band having ends terminating short of said front reinforcing panel, said band havig a substantial width at the sides of the garment substantially to bridge the separation between the top of the hip bone and the lower end of the rib cage, the width of the band being decreased rearwardly from said sides whereby excess body tissue is held beyond the band at the side of the garment to maintain the normal waist definition of the body of the wearer.

4. An all-in-one foundation garment having front and back parts adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from the hips to the bust regions, said front and back parts having lateral inward curvature at the area of the waistline, said front part having a reinforcing panel extending vertically along the center thereof for supporting the body of the wearer along the vertical abdominal muscles, a reinforcing band attached to the front and back parts along the waistline and extending along the back and frontally beyond the sides of the garment, said band having ends terminating short of said front reinforcing panel, said band having a substantially rhombic area at the sides tapering frontally and rearwardly toward the waist line from an area of maximum height-substantially to bridge the separation between the top of the hip bone and the lower end of the rib cage whereby excess body tissue is held beyond the band at the side of the garment to main tain the normal waist definition of the body of the wearer.

5. An all-in-one foundation garment having front and back parts adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from the hips to the bust regions, said front and back parts having lateral inward curvature at the area of the waistline, a reinforcing band attached to the front and back parts .along the waistline and extending along the back and frontally beyond the sides of the garment, said band having a substantial width at the sides of the garment substantially to bridge the separation between the top of the hip bone and the lower end of the rib cage, said band having top and bottom edges converging towards each other both frontally and rearwardly from the area at the sides of the garment whereby excess body tissue is held beyond the band at the side of the garment to maintain the normal waist definition of the body of the wearer.

6. An allrin-one foundation garment having front and back parts adapted to encircle the body of the wearer from the hips to the bust regions, said front and back parts having lateral inward curvature at the area of the waistline, said front garment having a rein-forcing panel extending vertically along the center thereof for supporting the body of the wearer along the vertical abdominal muscles, a reinforcing band attached to the front and back parts along the waistline and extending along the back and frontally beyond the sides of the garment, said band having ends terminating short of said front reinforcing panel, said band having a substantial width at the sides of the garment substantially to bridge the separation between the top of the hip bone and the lower end of the rib cage, said band having top and bottom edges converging towards each other both frontally and rearwardly from the area at the sides of the garment whereby excess body tissue is held beyond the band at the side of the garment to maintain the normal waist definition of the body of the wearer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,074,776 3/37 Cotey et a1 128-436 2,413,502 12/46 Ihsen 128,-436 2,981,257 4/61 Kress 128432 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ALL-IN-ONE FOUNDATION GARMENT HAVING FRONT AND BACK PARTS ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE BODY OF THE WEARER FROM THE HIPS TO THE BUST REGIONS, SAID FRONT AND BACK PARTS HAVING LATERAL INWARD CURVATURE AT THE AREA OF THE WAISTLINE, A REINFORCING BAND ATTACHED TO THE FRONT AND BACK PARTS ALONG THE WAISTLINE AND EXTENDING ALONG THE BACK AND FRONTALLY BEYOND THE SIDES OF THE GARMENT, SAID BAND HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH AT THE SIDES OF THE GAR- 